The present invention relates to a dual drive material turning machine and method. Composting requires that the material being composted be turned or aerated periodically in order to achieve the biodegradation necessary in order to change the material to compost. Therefore, a need has arisen for equipment for quickly and easily turning and aerating the material being composted.
Prior compost windrow turners are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,932,196; 4,976,095; and 5,893,262. These prior compost windrow turners utilize an elevated moving face for lifting the compost material upwardly and for depositing it to the rear of the device. They include a drive mechanism provided by a tractor or other vehicle at one side of the device.
One disadvantage of these prior devices is that unusual bending forces are applied to the elevated moving face during the time that the compost turning occurs. This is the result of the drive mechanism being placed at one side of the compost turner.
One of the patents, U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,095, shows a plurality of vanes 96 which are connected by a single rod so that they will always remain parallel to each other and can be moved simultaneously by movement of a single rod. Because all of these vanes are parallel to one another, it is not possible to change the shape or configuration of the pile of material being deposited at the rear of the device.
Also, in prior devices, sprockets are used at the lower end of the device for tightening the belt which is trained around an upper sprocket and a lower sprocket. Tightening devices have been provided which are positioned between the two upper and lower sprockets and also between the front and rear surfaces of the belt being driven. These tightening devices often encounter material being lifted by the belt assembly, and become dirty and exposed to these materials to the point where they sometimes become inoperative.
Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is the provision of an improved drive material turning machine and method for operating the same.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved material turning machine which utilizes drive tracks on opposite sides of a belt assembly, with both of the drive tracks being driven to propel the machine through the material being aerated and turned.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved dual drive material turning machine and method which minimizes the bending forces applied between the lifting apparatus and the drive train for the machine.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved dual drive material turning machine and method which includes two sets of vanes that can be independently adjusted so as to change the shape and form of the windrow being deposited behind the turning machine.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved tightening apparatus which is protected from the material being lifted by the machine.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a method for moving the machine through an elongated pit containing the material to be turned and aerated.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a method for guiding the machine along a pair of spaced apart channels during the time that the machine is being propelled through the elongated pit containing the material to be aerated.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of apparatus for suspending the machine from a pair of spaced apart rails and for lifting the machine to an elevated position above the material to be aerated and for lowering the machine into contact with the material to be aerated.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a pair of elongated pits positioned in side-by-side relationship so that the machine may progress through one of the pits in a first direction and then reverse itself and progress through the second pit in a direction opposite from the first direction.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a material turning machine which is economical to manufacture, durable in use and efficient in operation.